Revamping an Old Post

[TAG]

Revamp an old post: The Beginning, four years later


I looked at my first post and I felt like I needed to add to it and go through what I started out with.

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Out With the Old (link)
Oct. 25th 2013

The Start of Booksonal

Dear you,

I started this blog to write about books. Shocker, since the title is there...

Anyway, so as you can assume I love reading books. I don't have that many, but I read loads. I decided to make a blog for writing about them. About what I have read, how much I loved them (if I even liked them), overall about books and I'll maybe make some book tags.

I'll try to post every Saturday, but probably I will be delayed sometimes...

So hope you will like my posts,

and as always read on.

Love,

Sally

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In With the New
Oct. 21st 2017

Booksonal Four Years Later


This blog has brought me good & bad times, new perspectives & people, long nights & lots and lots of notes and ideas.

I started out with Word documents, post-its and full notebooks about what I've read. I took the jump to a blog in 2013 (I wasn't always as active though), so it's been four years next week!

I didn't start so that people would read it - it was actually not something I wanted. Let me explain that with this:

            About the name Booksonal. Well I started this blog more like a journal that was               therapeutic in a way. My thoughts are always mine and so they feel personal and so -               hence the name.

So no I wasn't looking for readers, I wanted - still want to - express my thoughts and people who read it and can relate are just a bonus. But to all of those who have been reading, for a shorter or longer time, thank you.

If you've never written down why you like or don't like a book it can really organize your thoughts and your star ratings. And if you've been reading the blog for some time you know I love being organized.
               The point is try it out - you might be surprised.

Read on lovelies,

S

Totally Didn't Book Tag

As I wrote this, I realized that I'm not exactly answering the questions. I'm just talking about problems I have surrounding said questions, so this tag ended up a bit of a rant.


1. Totally didn’t need to have a sequel/sequels.
The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

2. Totally didn’t need to have more than one point of view.
To be honest I don't read a lot of books with more than one POV, and usually I'm not a fan of it.
It makes me distanced from the characters, if not done well, and I never like that feeling.

3. Totally didn’t need to change cover art through the middle of a series.
Across The Universe is one change I never understood. The original ones were so much more aesthetically pleasing! I understand the want to change some covers, but finish with one and the revamp them all. An Ember in the Ashes is one also

4. Totally didn’t need a love triangle.
I tend to hate this trope so pretty much any book with one. It creates tension and awkward situations, and usually the reader knows how it'll end up so it's a waste of time - in certain cases

5. Totally didn’t need this book to be included in this series. 
I've talked about the second book syndrome that happens when a book might me intended as only one but they add on another one without really having a proper plot from the beginning which unfortunately brings boredom. For example the second book in the Matched series.

For this reason I am always really apprehensive towards books that have later been added books to. An Ember in the Ashes was supposed to be one book, then two and now four books. The first one was great and then I got a bit scared would the second one be? It was but will the rest be?

6. Totally didn’t need a cliffhanger.
Using cliffhangers is a fantastic way to get the reader to buy the next book since their curiosity has peaked. But that works only if you are invested in the characters and in learning what will happen to them. So they need to be balanced; don't write a cliffhanger in each chapter. Make the readers go to the edge of their seat and wonder, anticipate and then, and only then, have said cliffhanger.

TV series often get this upside down. Yes after each episode you need something to make the watchers come back, but instead of a cliffhanger in each episode prove to the watchers that it's a show worth watching. Develop the characters, enrich the world, play with our emotions and when everything is at it's peak - have a cliffhanger. See the problem with having too many of them is that each one need an answer. One. So when a conclusion is reached regarding that one cliffhanger, what is keeping the watchers or readers still there? Usually it would be the characters and plot, but have you delved into those enough on the side of all the cliffhangers?
For the former a bad episode is a deal breaker, but in the latter the fans will stick with the characters like intended.

7. Totally didn’t need to have just one point of view.
TFiOS would have been great with both Hazel and Augustus' POV

8. Totally didn’t need that much hype.
I try to read books also from outside my comfort zone, and by hearing people whom I trust their opinions on really like a book I wouldn't have picked excites me. But I hesitate and try to not get my hopes up, which helps because then I don't get disappointed if it was "only" good.

9. Totally didn’t need a relative book reference. (Eg, For example: Hunger Games fan would love Divergent.)
Sometimes this is the only way to get my attention towards a book, but it needs to be well done because it can make people that would like the book walk away because they didn't like the one book it was referenced towards. Comparing books can be fun, but having that idea on the back burner of your head while reading the book can be distracting.

10. Totally didn’t deserve my time.
I've been getting better at not finishing books if I feel like I'm wasting my time. I used to just stick to it til' the end and hate it. So why do it? We say too much to read and too little time, then why spend some of it on books we don't like. Sure the book could pick up pace, but I personally read enough to know whether I like it or not. And I encourage you to learn that for yourselves.

Read on lovelies,

S

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns : review

Julie C. Dao

*ARC kindly provided by Penguin through NetGalley for an honest review!*

Part of the Penguin Teen Game-Changers, with a tag line of:
Breathtaking fractured fairy tale


Release: Oct. 10th 2017

Goodreads' link to the book!

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So what did I think?

Stars: 3/5

The idea and premise is so intriguing and sounded so perfect for me:

An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress--and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.
-Goodreads

It is entertaining with a rich world and lyrical writing. The intricately thought out main character is an anti-heroine which made a refreshing read.
I don't want to say too much about the plot so I shall just urge you to pick it up!

The usual likes and dislikes, relating to the star rating:

+1 | idea
+1 | writing
+1 | world
- 1 | characters
- 1 | pace

Read on lovelies,

S

Info

The regular post for today will be up on Monday.



In the mean time since #TurtlesAlltheWayCountDown is almost at its end with the release of John Greens new book next week, I have linked my review of The Fault in Our Stars from 3 years ago for you:

          The Fault in Our Stars : Book vs Movie



Secondly I received a blog pass for the Helsinki book fair!
I am especially excited since Finland is turning 100 this year and I think it'll be reflected in the event as well.



Thirdly, I hope you guys like what I've done to the outlook of my blog - there are a few more changes that will be up soon.

Read on lovelies,

S

Read This Month

September

1. An Abundance of Katherines  REVIEW
2. Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Data:

Male/Female author:
         100 % male
Genre:
         100 % contemporary,

Pages:
        515 p
Format:
         100 % physical books
Average:
         3.0
Arcs:
          100 % sent to me (for honest reviews)

Read on lovelies,

S

Unhaul & Maybe Pile

ALREADY GONE:

The 5th Wave
All the Bright Places
I Was Here
Geography of You and Me
Boy Nobody
Rebel Belle 1-2
Shadow Society
The Heir
Lips Touch
Nine Lives of Chloe King 1-3
Shadow and Bone (the only one I haven't read from this list)
Anomaly 1-2
Isle of the Lost
Etiquette and Espionage 1-4
Love Letters to the Dead
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
Every day
Speak
Despereaux
Cardturner
Mind Games 1-2
The Squad 1-2
Daughter of Smoke and Bone 1-3
Legend 1-3
Soul Surfer
Survive
Teemestarin kirja
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Christie: Hercules, Baghdad
Raven Boys (I have yet to read the last one, but I will)
The Fault in Our Stars (I had 2 copies)
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MAYBE:

I've been going through all my books and thinking about which ones to keep.
The thing is I want to look at my shelves and love all the books. So in other words I want to reread all the books I do own.
My problem is 3 star books and series. They are good. And there's the problem: good. I don't love them, would I really reread them? I reread so few books because of time, so would I really choose to reread one that I didn't love?
I used to keep all the books I read because what if as a blogger I'd like to reference back to them? But why would I if I didn't like them and furthermore wouldn't recommend them?

Oh well... So I'm thinking about these things and made a maybe pile into my closet to sort out later:
(This list has also other than 3 star books)

Hex Hall 1-3
Angelfall 1-3
Princess Academy 2-3
Throne of Glass 2-3 (I'm at least keeping the novellas and the 1st one for sentimental reasons)
They All Fall Down
Red Queen (Will I continue to the 3rd book?)
Study in Charlotte (I don't know if I'll continue)
Literally
I see London, I see France

Crazy Book Buying Obsession

[Book Tag]


1) Do you have an obsession with buying books?
Some might say yes but I think I'm handling it quite well

2) When, where and how often do you buy your books? Do you go with anyone else or just by yourself?
I actually order most online from Adlibris, which I love! It has free shipping in Finland, it's cheap, fast and has most of what I'm looking for - including non-bookish items.
I've been going through and reducing my TBR so I usually make an order each season and maybe a couple books from the store in between

3) What kind of things attract you to books when browsing them? Is there a specific genre of books you automatically go and look at?
Well where I live there is always one section for English books, so you can pretty much see all of the genres there - hence I I mostly order them

4) Do you prefer to buy new, used or a mixture of both?
I'd like to buy used books, but I don't have a place near me where to buy some, so currently all my used books have come from library sales

5) How much are you willing to spend on books each month?
Hmm, I don't think I've ever bought more than 10 books at a time

6) Have you ever gone on any 'book-buying bans'?
Yup, like I said in Q2 I've been reducing the books I own and haven't read so there have definitely been bans

7) How long does it take you to get around to reading recently bought books?
I usually buy the books I want to read as soon as possible, but in bigger orders there are always a couple books that stay unread for some time (the "oldest" one I currently have is from last christmas)

8) Do you prefer to buy a lot of shorter, cheaper books or just a few longer, more expensive ones?
I've never thought of the length of the book, but if I think something seems a bit pricey I check it out from the library if possible and read it and then think about buying it if I really liked it

9) Anything else to say about these awesome obsessions?
Well, books are great

Read on lovelies,

S